Side step Mod

pi3yeargrad · 03-07-2006, 12:15 AM

MAN, started Mikes mod on the side steps and was quick and easy...I dunno bout others sayin they had to scrape and such but WOW...didnt even have to really break a sweat...Did some coats of the stripper and just bubbled everything off to just peel...got some pics to show...some crazy strong stuff though...got some on my skin and whoa it burns...wore gloves but used thick coats and would splatter a bit cuz the wind was pretty crazy today...I prolly worked on it for maybe 3 hours on and off and have finished the whole back side...not just need the front which isnt too much since it is a king cab and has the big plastic/rubber strip down the center...took the truck to the dealer and had already taken em off so worked on that....THEY FREAKIN GAVE ME A SENTRA LOL FOR A LOANER...MAN I WANT MY TRUCK BACK...they said it should be ready and hopefully since my grounding kit FINALLY came in today...here are some pics...

AFTER all the paint of whatever these thing are coated with is stripped then Ill look into polishing or gettin a nice finish out of em...

TulsaTitan · 03-07-2006, 08:58 AM

That's the same stripper I used. Paint slides right off!!

themaildude · 03-07-2006, 09:00 AM

Looks good, how do you plan to polish them?

SickWhip · 03-07-2006, 09:12 AM

I bet that's going to look nice!

pi3yeargrad · 03-07-2006, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by themaildude

Looks good, how do you plan to polish them?

Still dont know yet...will see after completey stripped...as of now I think if I put em on the truck as is (wells tripped completely of course) I dont think it will look too bad...BUT do wanna polish em and bring out the CRAZY LUSTER so we'll see

also, tulsa and anyone else whos done this...did u notice these things are coated/painted the whole inside as well??

burntfox · 03-07-2006, 04:35 PM

If these are the Aluminum side bars you are really goin to want to put some sorta protective coating over the raw aluminum otherwise it will get uggly in a hurry. Wont need a high temp one but will want something durable. I had several bikes in South Texas and all of brite aluminum that was not coated or had coating scaratched off got really dull and oxidized. this probably the reason it has paint on inside and out.... Just givin my advice

smoothTitan · 03-07-2006, 06:11 PM

8-10in cotton buffing wheel on a nice size grinder will give a nice luster, thtas the easy way, i am sure it could be done with some elbow grease. i heard that zoop seal works really nice for aluminum, to keep that shine

pi3yeargrad · 03-07-2006, 06:22 PM

cool cool...ye was gonna try a buffer like u suggested...well see...finished one entirely today in about 30-45 min. but had to run some errands and ended up not gettin back to the other...will PROBABLY finish tomorrow...

**Blackbeauty** · 03-08-2006, 06:10 AM

Try this site. http://www.topoftheline.com/magmixalpol.html Great products. Luster lasts a long time. Periodic applications are necessary. But my parents' house now has the shiniest aluminum screendoor you ever saw!

pi3yeargrad · 03-08-2006, 03:50 PM

FINISHED...wasnt too hard at all...looks nice...didnt use a sanding pad or anything just peeled off paint...use a medium bristle brush to get the lil stubborn stuff but thats about it...went ahead and just used some devr-dull and shined by hand...wow...looks nice...will post pics later...AM THINKING about sending em to a chromer...well see...they might just stay the way they are UNLESS chromer is cheap...contacted one guy but he wanted to charge more than it would cost to chrome some wheels...I was like no thanks...what kind of material are these made out of...anyone know for sure? theyve said alluminum but is it?? billet? the guy who was gonna chrome ( I sent pictures) said he though it looked like billet...also he said that gettin this chromed wouldnt hold up for long?? is that true?? I dunno will still look around...

majorKAP · 03-08-2006, 04:36 PM

Billet?

Billet is the place where a soldier sleeps...i.e., "the troops are billeted in the barracks" or "we will billet in Saddam's palace".

In regard to aluminum, I thought a billet component was milled from a solid block of the stuff, leaving a lot of waste on the shop floor.

It seems like the step rails might be extruded.

Am I wrong, again?

KAP

HackinHound · 03-08-2006, 04:50 PM

Why not have it anodized. With anodizing you can get a permanent shiny chrome or colored finish. Anodizing also gives the aluminum super hard finish and protects it from oxidation.

mopar · 03-08-2006, 07:05 PM

Looks good I want to see those pics with them all polished up!!!

pi3yeargrad · 03-08-2006, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mopar

Looks good I want to see those pics with them all polished up!!!

will do, prolly tomorrow...I hope to get my truck back from the dealer tomorrow as well so I can bolt em back on and see how it will look...

Quote:

Originally Posted by HackinHound

Why not have it anodized. With anodizing you can get a permanent shiny chrome or colored finish. Anodizing also gives the aluminum super hard finish and protects it from oxidation.

what the hecks anodize? could look into that...know anyone who does it? at a good price?

HackinHound · 03-09-2006, 10:52 AM

what the hecks anodize? could look into that...know anyone who does it? at a good price?[/quote]

You see examples of anodized aluminum every day. Those colorful metal bicycle parts. The shiny chrome on bath and shower doors. Colored fishing reels.

Anodizing is done by dipping the the aluminum in a chemical solution and appling electricity to it.

As far as who does it and cost go I haven't a clue. I think any machine shop would know who to contact. Here's a company in Dallas. http://www.coyotemanufacturing.com/